Making A Birria Ramen Fusion

Ingredients

• 4.5 pounds Oxtail (cut into sections for gyukotsu broth)
• 1.5 pounds Rib Roast Bones (leftover bones, add richness)
• 12 cups Water (enough to cover bones and aromatics by 4‑5 inches)
• 0.5 large Red Onion (charred in cast‑iron skillet)
• 0.5 large White Onion (thinly sliced raw for garnish)
• 5 heads Garlic (scalp, keep skins for broth, extra cloves for tare)
• 2 pieces Ancho Chili (deseeded, toasted, rehydrated)
• 2 pieces Guajillo Chili (deseeded, toasted, rehydrated)
• 2 pieces Arbol Chili (deseeded, toasted, rehydrated)
• 9 pieces Dried Tomatoes (roughly chopped for tare)
• 10 cloves Garlic Cloves (roughly chopped for tare)
• 2 tablespoons Vegetable Oil (for sautéing garlic and tomatoes)
• 0.5 cup Apple Cider Vinegar (adds acidity to tare)
• 1 cup Pepper Water (reserved from broth boiling, used to deglaze tare)
• 1 teaspoon Fresh Ginger (grated, added to tare)
• 2 teaspoons Ground Cumin
• 0.5 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
• 1 pinch Ground Cloves
• 1 teaspoon Dried Oregano (optional, adds herbal note)
• to taste Sea Salt (for seasoning steak and tare)
• 1.5 pounds Flank Steak (cooked sous‑vide then reverse‑seared)
• 12 oz Ramen Noodles (alkaline ramen noodles, store‑bought)
• 1 whole Jalapeño (thinly sliced raw for garnish)
• 1 bunch Fresh Cilantro (roughly chopped for garnish)

Instructions

1. Initial Boil and Clean Bones

   Place oxtail and rib roast bones in a large stock pot, cover with water by 1–2 inches, bring to a rolling boil and cook for 1 hour. Drain, discard the liquid, and rinse the bones to remove scum and dark patches.

   Time: PT1H

   Temperature: boiling

2. Build the Gyukotsu Broth

   Return cleaned bones to the pot. Char half a red onion and half a white onion in a cast‑iron skillet, then add them to the pot along with five whole garlic heads (skins on). Fill with water so the liquid sits 4–5 inches above the ingredients. Bring to a rolling boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer and cook for 12 hours, topping off with water as needed.

   Time: PT12H

   Temperature: simmer

3. Strain the Broth

   Using a large spider strainer, remove the bones and aromatics. Then pass the broth through a cheesecloth‑lined fine mesh strainer into a clean container.

   Time: PT15M

4. Sous‑Vide Flank Steak

   Season the flank steak with salt, place in a vacuum seal bag, and cook in a sous‑vide water bath at 130°F (54°C) for 2 hours.

   Time: PT2H

   Temperature: 130°F

5. Prepare the Chili‑Garlic Tare

   Deseed and toast the ancho, guajillo, and arbol chilies, then rehydrate them in hot water. Roughly chop 10 garlic cloves and 9 dried tomatoes. In a skillet, heat vegetable oil and sauté the garlic and tomatoes, stirring continuously until the tomatoes turn deep red. Deglaze with 1 cup pepper water, 0.5 cup apple cider vinegar, and 1 tsp grated ginger; cook briefly until fragrant. Transfer to a blender, add the rehydrated chilies, 2 tsp ground cumin, 0.5 tsp cinnamon, a pinch of cloves, and optional oregano. Blend until smooth, then season with generous sea salt.

   Time: PT2H

   Temperature: medium‑high

6. Reverse‑Sear the Steak

   Remove the sous‑vide steak, let it rest 5 minutes, then slice into two manageable pieces. Heat a clean skillet until very hot and quickly sear each side of the steak to develop a crust. Finish with a light sprinkle of sea salt.

   Time: PT15M

   Temperature: high

7. Prepare Toppings

   Thinly slice the remaining raw white onion and the jalapeño. In the same skillet used for the steak, add a little oil and fry the remaining garlic cloves until crisp, then set aside.

   Time: PT10M

   Temperature: medium

8. Cook the Noodles

   Boil water in a large pot, add the ramen noodles, and cook according to package instructions (usually 2–3 minutes). Drain and set aside.

   Time: PT5M

   Temperature: boiling

9. Assemble the Bowls

   In each serving bowl, place about 1 tablespoon of tare at the bottom. Ladle 1.5 cups of hot gyukotsu broth over the tare and stir to combine, turning the broth a deep red. Gently add cooked noodles, then top with sliced jalapeño, crispy garlic, raw white onion, a small bunch of cilantro, and 3–4 strips of seared flank steak.

   Time: PT5M

Nutrition Facts

Calories

650

Protein

30g

Carbohydrates

70g

Fat

25g

Fiber

5g